Lamp-socket.



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I socket is of well-known form, the socket berrrcE.

HERBERT C. WIRT, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

LAM P-SOCKET.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,4 dated- January1901- Application filed July 9,1898. Serial No. 685,491. We model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT C. WIRT, a citizen ot' the United States,residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Sockets,(Case No. 815,) of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to sockets for incandescent lamps, and hasfor its object to provide means of securing the lead-in wires to suchsockets so that they are not readily disengaged and so that they may bevery easily attached. As ordinarily constructed the screw whichholds thelead-in wire in place has the wire wrapped around it and is theninserted in a flat piece of brass forming the terminal. The tendency ofthe screw during insertion is to twist the coil of wire, so that its endprojects from under the screw, or to squeeze it from beneath the screw,and very often the engagement of the wire with the plate is so slightthat it is readily detached. It is very important that this should notoccur in lamp-sockets, as the wire is liable to engage a metal portionhaving opposite polarity, and thus cause a short circuit. I aim toovercome this defect by raising on the terminals small lugs orprojections, so that as the screw is forced home the wire is compressed,but is not untwisted or squeezed from under the screw, since it engageswith lugs when it is squeezed outwardly, thus making better contact withthe terminal and being prevented from escaping from beneath the screw.

The drawings show an embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 being aperspective of the porcelain plate of an incandescent lampsocket of theEdison type, showing the improved terminals of my invention, and Fig. 2being an enlarged view in perspective of one of those terminals.

The porcelain plate or base C of the lamp ing in general of the typeshown in the patent to Tournier, No. 559,239, granted April 28, 1898.The key is lettered D, the key-terminal E, and the lug upon thisterminal E. The holes in the upper part of the base 0 are adapted toreceive screws for securing the usual screw-threaded contact-sleeveterminal to the base. This contact-sleeve is adapted to receive thelamp, which when it is screwed into the sleeve makes contact through itscenter terminal with the other socket-terminal A. The terminal E iselectrically connected with a switch-piece carried on the other end ofthe spindle of the key D, and this key is turned to complete the circuitthrough the lamp by the engagement of the switch-piece with the threadedcontact-sleeve. The other terminal is more readily understood from theView shown in Fig. 2. It is lettered A, and consists of an enlargedportion A, which bears against one of the lamp-contacts, the lamp notbeing illustrated, the part A which forms the spring of the terminal,and the lugs A A which are struck up of a part of the metal of the stripadjacent to the screw B. The strip is cut away longitudinallyintermediate its ends to form the narrow portion A in order to give theproper degree of resiliency and to provide a greater space between theterminal and the contact-sleeve, which is of opposite polarity. Thelongitudinal cuts are extended beyond the part removed, and thesepartially-cut portions having been first cut transversely from theremoved parts are bent up to form substantially perpendicular lugs onthe strip equally distant from the screw-hole and on the opposite sideof the binding-post to that from which the lead-wire enters beneath thebindingscrew. The lugs serve to hold the lead-wire under thebinding-screw, thus preventing it from making contact with the threadedsleeve and avoiding short circuits. The terminal is held in place by ascrew (not illustrated) which passes through the hole a.

By the simple device which I have here shown considerable saving of timeand trouble is obtained without any particular increase of cost, the lugbeing formed from what are ordinarily waste parts of the strip fromwhich the different terminals are struck.

What I claim is 1. A terminal for lamp-sockets which comprises a flatportion having a binding-screw hole, and logs disposed adjacent to thehole, their inner vertical edges extending most nearly adjacent to thehole,whereby the lampwire is held between the binding-screw and theedges of the lugs.

2. A terminal, which comprises a metal strip provided with a hole forthe reception of a binding-screw, portions of the strip adjacent to thehole being partially cut away from the body of the strip and bent to anangle with the plane thereof to form lugs which hold a lead-wire beneaththe binding-post.

3. A terminal comprising a narrow portion and a broad portion, abinding-post hole in the latter near the narrow portion, and lugscomposed of the metal constituting the excess in width of the broad overthe narrow portion at the junction of the two, substantially asdescribed.

4. A terminal, which comprises a flat metal strip provided with a holefor the reception of a binding-screw, the edges of the strip adjacent tothe hole being cut longitudinally and bent perpendicularly to the planeof the strip, to form lugs which hold the leadwire beneath thebinding-screw.

5. In a lamp-socket, the combination with the insulating-base, of ametallic strip secured at its outer end to said base and adapted toreceive a binding-screw, and to engage with its inner end alamp-terminal, portions of the strip being partially cut away and bentto an angle with the strip to form lugs adjacent to the binding-screw,which preventthe lead-wires from being twisted or squeezed from beneaththe binding-screw and into contact with other conductors secured to thebase, when the binding-screw compresses the wire.

6. In a lamp-socket, the combination with the insulating-base, of anangular spring socket-terminal secured at its outer end to said base,adapted to receive a binding-screw in its upright portion and to engagethe center lamp-terminal at the inner end of its hori zontal portion,lugs being struck up from the upright portion of the terminal betweenthe binding-screw and the horizontal portion, to prevent the lead-wirefrom being twisted or squeezed, when the binding-screw compresses thewire, from beneath the screw and into contact with other conductorssecured to the base.

7. A terminal formed from a sheet-metal strip, having a hole for thereception of a binding-screw, the edges of the strip being cuttransversely and longitudinally and the portions thus out being bentperpendicularly to the plane of the strip, whereby lugs are formed tokeep the lead-wire beneath the binding-screw.

S. Aterminal formed of a rectangular strip, having a hole for thereception of a bindingscrew, a portion of the edges of the longer sidesof the strip being cut longitudinally, a portion of the edges thus outbeing removed, and the remaining portions of the cut edges near the holebeing struck up to form lugs' to keep the lead-wire beneath thebinding-screw.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of June,1898.

HERBERT O. WIRT.

Witnesses:

B. B. HULL, A. F. MACDONALD.

